The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-18
THE SCHOOL, R0aRD.


the situation or an inability to deal with it.
The financial endorsements of the board are
very serious. For several years past the ex-
penses of the schools, owing to natural and
unavoidable causes, have been steadily in
creasing, while the revenue, also owing to
unavoidable causes, has either simply held its
own or decreased. The result has been con-
stantly increasing deficit and debt. The lat
ter is already beyond the limit of the law, and
is likely to increase every year. The board is
now paying interest to large amount on
money borrowed to meet past expenses.
That is a fascinating but dangerous policy.
A much wiser and safer policy is to curtail
expenses so as to bring them within the in
come So thought the finance committee,
which, after careful consideration of the whole
penses to the amount of $13, 295 year. 1t
was estimated that at the present rate
the necessary expenses for the next
school year would exceed the reve-
nue. about $15,OOO without reference
to possible contingencies accidents, and
without making any provision for increased
deficit, in addition to the existing debt, the
committee recommended the reduction of ex-
penses as above stated The schedule en-
braced several items of proposed retrench
ment, but did not embrace the abolition of
German instruction, as it should have done.
The main reductions proposed by the commit
tee were in the training school and the High
school, the two items amounting to S., 100.
The board adopted these two recommends
in the training school and So, 500 in the High
school, and then it stopped. With the abso-
lutte necessity of reduction of about $15 900
a year to bring expenses within the income,
the board stopped with reduction of 1900.
They made good beginning but bad end
ing. We cannot believe tho board
failed to see its duty; it simply
shrank from performing it. The application
Of the pruning knifein public affairs is hardly
ever pleasant, but it is sometimes necessary.
Inadequate reduction Of expenses at present
may avoid the necessity of much greater re-
duction later on, and while the present embar-
rassment to the schools might be considerable,
it will probably be much greater if postponed.
The reduction of So 500 in the expenses of
the H. school is good as far as it goes, but
it falls considerably short of the necessities Of
the case. Meanwhile, the public will take
! notice that in refusing to discontinue the
teaching of German the board deliberately
turned its back on an item of retrenchment
far more important than any recommended in
the schedule. There is no general demand for
German instruction in the schools It is done
to accommodate a very few people. It is a
source Of large expense and a positive detri-
ment to the teaching of English branches.
Practically it amounts to nothing, as the in
struction is superficial and gives but mere
smattering of the language. The time and
money Spent on IL are wasted 4eC WnoN the
board is confronted with the necessity of a
| large reduction of expenses, and after voting
| TO reduce expenses on the English side to the
| amount of 1000 year, it refuses to even
touch the teaching of German. The German
| American members of the board who voted
that way were actuated by feeling which
I
can be easily understood; the American mem
bers who voted with them could only have
been actuated by demagogism. The school
buildings in some parts of the city are made
| quate to accommodate the present population
Large numbers of children of school age are
running the streets, deprived of school faciG
ties for the lack of accommodations. The
situation in this regard will be worse mex
/ succeeding year, until further school accom-
modations are provided. To do this costs
money, and where is it to come from9 The
board has said, in effect, that it will cripple
the English side of the schools, and let chill
dren run in the streets and grow up il
ignorance, before it will even consider tn,
question of the teaching of German. W.
have no hesitation in saying that in this tn
board is trifing with its duty, and showing
only its narrowness and incompetence.